March of the Vraedians
The March of the Vraedians wa''s a battle fought between the Vraedians under House Deltern and the Castian Empire. Background Following the destruction of the second death star and the end of the Empire, Alexis Deltern and her allies once more retreated into the unknown regions. They eventually arrived at a medieval-age planet similar in climate to Alderaan, where they posed as traders and investigated the varying realms. After several weeks, they swore their allegiance to the Vraedians, where they fought and won battle after battle and one-by-one became vassals of the realm, each with a village or more. Eventually the rulers of Vraedia abdicated the throne for Arthur, who was well known as a liege who was fair and protector of the commonfolk. This slight did not go unnoticed by the other realms, and some sought to overthrow the foreigner and claim the throne for themselves. The Incident One summer, Alexis' granddaughter Rachel, a vassal in charge of protecting one of the newer villages when a Castian raiding party attacked, seizing Rachel and razing the village to the ground. A few peasants escaped the raiders, one of whom made it to the capital of Talsworth, where they informed Lich, the vassals in attendance, and several members of the resistance seeking help against the First Order of the village being raided and that Rachel had been taken. The Response A brief argument ensued, with Lich against the idea of riding to war and instead favoring a diplomatic envoy. When Alexis stated she'd march to war with or without him, Lich told the vassals to rally their men as they ride for Casta. Within a fortnight, the entire realm of Vraedia had assembled, every man, woman, boy, and girl willing and able to fight rallying around the lords and ladies that had protected them for years. Of the tens of thousands that the old rulers had amassed, the Vraedian host numbered more than a hundred thousand. The Battle Upon arriving at Salkire, capital of the Castian Empire, Rachel's mother Ella and a dozen of the finest warriors of Vraedia rode forth to the gates to request a parley with the king. No soon had they entered than they were seized by the Castian soldiers. Helpless, Alexis could only watch as her daughter was taken prisoner just as her granddaughter was. The following days were a flurry of activity, the Vraedian army constructing siege weapons. When the time came for the final assault, Alexis, Phoebe, Sheila, and Sheila's son Jack rode out with sixty warriors to offer the king once final chance to surrender. When the king once more refused and ordered them arrested, Alexis slew him as she drew her sword, striking down two of his guards before the rest could spring into action. As the remainder of the Delterns and their guards engaged the castle's defenders, the remainder of the Vraedian army began the assault. Dozens of ladders, several siege towers along every wall, and ten thousand knights attacked the fortress. '''Arthur' With the attack begun, Arthur was one of the first over the wall, felling Casian warriors with every swing of his sword. Though he sustained numerous injuries on the wall, he managed to secure the gatehouse and opened the gates, allowing more of his men to swarm the city. Phoebe Following the sudden Deltern attack, Phoebe pressed the attack with twenty warriors, storming the keep in an attempt to stop any last ditch attempts at holding out from beginning to form. Eventually she was ambushed by the prince and two of his guards. Though she slew the trio, she had been stabbed in the chest by the prince and was thus unable to secure the rest of the keep herself. Jack While Phoebe was off securing the keep, the remainder of the group left and took the fight to the courtyard. Once there, Jack and twenty warriors engaged the Casian warriors counterattacking the "envoy". As the fighting began to die down, Jack took fifteen of the warriors and left to secure the barracks and armory, where they were met by Arthur. With no difficulty at all thanks to the open gates, the two managed to secure both the barracks and armory with only a few minor scratches to show for it. Alexis While the children were off fighting to secure the castle, Alexis fought her way to the prison, Sheila and their retinue fighting their way through the hordes of Casians like a knife cutting through butter. In the later account of one of the warriors fighting with her, The Conclusion Within ten minutes of entering the prison Alexis left with her daughter and the prisoners. After surveying the ongoing battle, she ordered the prison destroyed. As the last vestiges of the Casians being roundup, she turned to the commander of her personal guard and uttered two words, "No mercy." The knowledge of what was found in there is unknown, as both Alexis and her daughter refuse to share it with anyone. Needless to say, whatever it was must've been dark for someone that protects the commonfolk, friend and foe alike, to murder all those who surrendered before outright razing the town.